I'm Coming Home
by Forever-Tangled
Summary: Commission story requested by vampygurl402 for arashi wolf princess. My take on what might have happened when Rapunzel and Eugene returned to the kingdom after his death and resurrection. Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

"What now?" Eugene asked as soon as Rapunzel's lips left his. That kiss had been _spectacular,_ but how were they supposed to leave this stupid place?  
She cleared her throat, her face an adorable shade of pink. "U-um...er...I-I guess we could...check out the stairway. We might be able to get out that way."  
He nodded, and Rapunzel slid out of his lap and helped him to his feet. The shackle that bound him to the post clinked, and they both glanced down at it. "Get me that dagger,"  
"What?!" Rapunzel fairly squawked. "You are _not _going to cut-"  
"I can pick the lock with it, Blondie. I'm not cutting that hand off - I'm still waiting for that superhuman strength to kick in," he teased.  
Rolling her eyes, she went to retrieve the dagger that Gothel had set by the downstairs entrance.

He didn't really want to teach Rapunzel how to pick locks, but he needed more than one hand. She listened to his directions, though; her eyes wide, and he soon had the lock picked with just the absolute tip of the dagger and a bobby pin that he always kept in his pocket - for picking locks, of course.  
When Eugene was released from the chains, he and Rapunzel started down the eerie, dank stairwell.

After what seemed like hours - but in reality, was just under ten minutes-they exited at the base of the tower, blinking against the sunlight. Maximus whinnied heartily as soon as he saw them; he'd been waiting for so long and had begun to wonder if they were _ever _going to come back out! Rapunzel ran right past Gothel's ashes and dirty cloak to throw her arms around the large horse's neck, burying her face in his warm mane.  
"Thanks for everything, Maximus," she mumbled, and the pleased stallion turned his head to nuzzle her shoulder.  
Eugene cleared his throat loudly. Of course he wouldn't admit that he was jealous over the attention Rapunzel was giving that horse, but he was nonetheless. "You've got to be kidding me. I _died _up there for you, and you're thanking the horse!" he crossed his arms in mock disgust, and Rapunzel turned to give him another eye roll.  
"Well, he apparently brought you here, so...he deserves to be thanked. Don't you, boy?" she patted his neck one last time before flashing Eugene a curious glance. "How _did _you escape prison, anyway?"  
He was quiet until he mounted Maximus and had helped Rapunzel clamber aboard behind him. When he felt her slim arms slide around his waist, holding on tight so she wouldn't fall off, he clucked Maximus on into a quick, bouncy trot before he started his tale.

They got to the Snuggly Duckling in the evening, and the thugs met Rapunzel with loud greetings, open arms demanding hugs, and drinks all around. Much as Eugene was tempted by the offer of a free, cool, amber-colored drink, he turned it down and opted for water instead, warning Rapunzel to turn it down as well. He knew that if he'd drink as little as a sip of that dreadful liquid, he'd end up not being able to stop, and he couldn't end up drunk - not around Rapunzel, and not when he was still a wanted thief.  
The pub thugs didn't ask for details about Rapunzel's escape, nor did they question her new, short brown hair, but the first question that came up was:  
"When're you two gettin' hitched?" courtesy of the big-nosed thug.  
Safe to say, Eugene choked on his water, his face turning a flaming red color within an instant.  
"Hitched...?" Rapunzel asked. You hitched horses to carriages or tied them to hitching posts, but what did hitches have to do with her and Eugene?  
"Married," Vladamir supplied.  
"O-ooh," now _she _was blushing, too. "Uh..."  
Eugene took in a deep, ragged breath and regained his composure to say, "She's the lost princess."  
Rapunzel shot him a puzzled glance. What did that have to do with getting married?  
The noisiness and cheerful mood of the pub ground to a stop, and everyone stared at her.  
Hook-Hand was the first to speak up. "Oh. Well, it's, uh, it's an honor, Princess." he bowed, and she smiled awkwardly.  
Leaning towards Eugene, she whispered, "What? Isn't it a good thing that you found the lost princess?"  
He nodded, shrugging, and took another glance at a big glass of that awful, amber drink as the conversation slowly picked back up. That drink could make him forget about her, but he'd have to take her back home safely before he could drown in it. He knew that princesses couldn't marry mere commoners - no, she'd be married off to some uppity, rich little brat from another country, most likely. Someone of_ importance. _Little orphan Eugene Fitzherbert Jr. wasn't of any importance, even if he had found the lost princess of Corona.


	2. Chapter 2

They arrived at their previous campsite in the pitch darkness; and Rapunzel was silent as Eugene started a fire. It was finally sinking in that she very well could have lost Eugene; and she had a bad feeling about her status as princess. She couldn't place it, but it was probably because whenever anyone mentioned it, Eugene got really quiet and withdrawn, and if he didn't like the sound of it, she shouldn't, either!  
When the fire was going well, illuminating the entire area, Eugene yawned. "We'll settle here for tonight, and then go to the kingdom tomorrow. I'm going to un-tack Maximus, but you can sleep if you wish."  
"Okay," Rapunzel said, nibbling her bottom lip as she considered her dress. Blood stains glared out at her from the purple fabric, and her sleeves were absolutely covered in awful, reddish-brown stains. She walked down to the nearby stream, dropping to her knees at the shore and swishing her arms in the cool water, trying to erase the blood stains from her sleeves and fingernails. When she couldn't get them out, and they remained there as reminders that Eugene could've very well died, her hands started shaking and she broke down crying. She hated seeing that blood..._his _blood...and it was all her fault!  
When she heard footsteps crunching towards her, she whirled around fearfully.  
"There you are - it's just me, don't freak out and clock me with your pan," Eugene teased.  
"I don't have my pan," she muttered, hating that her throat was so tight with tears.  
"Hey...what's wrong?" he caught sight of her puffy eyes and knelt beside her, concern furrowing his brows.  
"I-I'm so sorry, Eugene...it was all my fault. I-I keep just waiting to turn around or wake up and realize that you're gone.." she whimpered, dragging her soaking wet sleeve across her nose.  
"It's not your fault, Rapunzel - it's Gothel who stabbed me, not you. I'm still here, and I'll be here tomorrow, too," he added. He couldn't promise that he'd be there for her after tomorrow. They would likely hang him for stealing her crown and escaping prison, and would likely do so as soon as he set foot in the kingdom. But...he was fine with it. He'd brought the lost princess home safe, and she would be okay, and that's all he needed to worry about. He led her back to the fire, and they sat down on a log. The fire was already starting to wane, but he pulled her into a hug instead of going for more firewood. She buried her face into his vest a moment before pressing her ear against him, listening to his heartbeat through his shirt. Somehow, that calmed her down. Eventually, she pulled her head back up, looking at him with worry. "I never told you thanks-"  
He laughed. "That hug and kiss back at the tower was enough," he reassured her. It killed him that he wouldn't be able to be there for her all the time, but that was why she would have her parents...her real ones. He was stuck in between distancing himself and enjoying his last few hours with her, but in that moment, he decided to enjoy being around her.  
She smiled, kissing his cheek, and he snapped out of his thoughts. Realizing that the fire was almost out, he cleared his throat. "You okay here? I should get more firewood before it, uh, it goes out."  
She nodded, and he stood up. The girl's emerald eyes met his chocolate ones, and he could hardly make his feet turn to walk away from her. His face reddened as he caught her shy smile, and that's when he hightailed it out of there - before he could get any more distracted. She turned her attention to Pascal and Maximus, talking idly to them as she waited for him to return.

When Eugene had returned and had rebuilt the fire, Rapunzel promptly asked him to tell her all he knew about princesses.  
"I don't know anything about princesses, Blondie...outside of what I've read in books," he reminded her. He knew more than that, of course, but he didn't want to talk to her about princess stuff right now. He didn't want to think about her being a princess!  
"Well...I don't care! Tell me what they're like in the books, then," she gave him a smile, and he grumbled under his breath. He couldn't say no to that face.  
He told her all the stuff he'd read about, like how she'd have lots of banquets and celebrations to attend, how she'd probably have to cover up those bare feet of hers, how she'd wear fancy dresses and couldn't paint on walls.  
"...and painting on walls is probably the biggest no-no for living in a castle. You'll have tons of room, though, and you could probably hang up canvases everywhere. You'll have lessons, and a lot more responsibilities...hey, you'll rule the kingdom someday! You'll have to learn about that, too, of course, and suitors, and you'll probably have to learn how to address people-"  
"Suitors?"  
_Darn. _He hadn't just said suitors, had he?  
"Don't you know...no, you probably don't. They're princes from all over the place that will ask for your hand in marriage." he gulped. "You'll have to ask your parents about that, though, because they'll give you better information."  
"Why? I have you! You could be a prince if we married, right? Or...did you change your mind?" her eyes clouded with frantic confusion.  
_Way to be an idiot, Eugene. _"No! No, I didn't, Rapunzel. You're my new dream, remember? But princesses can't marry commoners. Good grief, can you imagine your parents letting the guy that stole your crown marry their long lost daughter? They'd be idiots to! I'll probably be sent back to prison, and that's okay."  
"No, it isn't! I-I can't go. Can't we run away together or something? I can't go to the kingdom...I _can't. _I just got you back, Eugene - I can't lose you again - no, I won't! I-if you won't let me run away with you, I'll...I'll make a new rule! I-I could do that, couldn't I? All princesses can marry whoever they want!" She sat ramrod straight and met his eyes with a fierce, determined gaze.  
"Whoa-whoa...wait up a sec. Don't flip out yet! Like I said, I don't know anything about princesses-"  
"But you'll be sent to prison...and you _know _about that kind of thing!" she pointed out.  
He sighed. "Yeah, well...let's not worry about that till the time comes. Don't give your parents trouble about me, though, okay? I'm no great prize, and your parents will know that."  
She shook her head, her posture softening. "You are! You just got led down the wrong path. Remember, that was Flynn Rider," she smiled, and he wanted to kiss her...but he didn't.  
He just tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and grinned. "Everything will work out, don't worry. I don't know about you, but I'm gonna crash. Dying is tiring work," he joked.  
She swatted his forearm and shook her head. "You're horrible."  
Eugene went to sleep on one side of the warm campfire; Rapunzel on the other side. Maximus dozed off nearby with Pascal clinging to his mane, emitting little reptilian-snores. At least, the thief tried to sleep. He really couldn't, and instead settled for watching the lost princess sleeping quietly on the other side of the dwindling fire.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, the lost princess and her company entered the kingdom at the crack of dawn; before most of the townsfolk were even awake. The guards were on duty though, and quickly caught Eugene. Rapunzel managed to subdue their attack in a moment - and that was only because Conli took one look at her, dropped his spear, and mumbled, "Why do you look so much like the Queen? Look, Captain - look at her eyes and tell me that she doesn't look like the Queen."  
The Captain snorted, unwilling to turn his attention away from Eugene, but he did.  
"I'm the lost princess, sir...he found me and he saved me, please let him go, sir!" Rapunzel added. Her hands were shaking, but she concealed them in the pockets of her dress. He let go of Eugene, looking towards Maximus. The stallion nodded his head and nickered his approval, and then the Captain shook his head.  
"We'll see about that princess-thing," he grunted. "If you're an imposter, you're _both _going to the gallows - I've had just about enough of you, Rider."  
Rapunzel and Eugene were left on the balcony of the castle while Conli went to retrieve the King and Queen.  
The poor girl was close to chewing a hole through her lip, she was so nervous. Eugene was concerned both about his future and hers - what if the Queen and King didn't recognize their own daughter? She'd be sent to the gallows, too, and that'd be his own stupid fault! But he couldn't worry about that quite yet; he should be comforting her.  
"Hey - don't worry so much. Everything will go okay," he told her, pulling her into a quick hug before taking her tiny hand into his large, calloused one. "See waaay out there? That's where we were at on your birthday, when we were in the boat."  
She smiled. "The view is stunning from here!"  
"Just think...you'll get to see this every single day, now that you'll be living here," he reminded her.  
All too soon, the King and Queen came. Rapunzel slipped her hand away from Eugene's and moved slowly to meet her parents. She was terrified - absolutely terrified; but then the Queen grabbed her into a tight hug, crying for both joy and for the years they'd lost. Eugene watched as the King went to hug his wife and daughter, and the scene brought tears to his eyes. What he wouldn't pay to have his parents back...  
As he was thinking so, the Queen lifted her head and held a hand out to him. Smiling and nodding slightly, he accepted her hand to shake it, but she yanked him down into the hug with them. Well then...he knew where Rapunzel got her personality from!

When the hug eventually broke up, the Queen finally took a long look at her daughter. Her gaze scoured her from head to toe, noting her grubby skin and bloodied, dirty dress.  
"Oh, my girl! What happened?" she gasped, fingering the brownish-stained lace on her sleeve.  
As Rapunzel explained what had happened, the King gave Eugene a scornful stare...though he held the guards off with a simple wave of the hand.  
When Rapunzel finished, the King gave her a dubious expression. "He's not blackmailing you, is he?"  
She gasped, horrified at the idea of such a thing. To be honest, she didn't even really know what blackmail was, but she knew for sure that he wasn't doing it - and she knew it had to be a dreadful thing.  
"No, he's not! He saved me, and he loves me!" "Are you not Flynn Rider?" the King gave the man a steady stare that made him squirm like a small child.  
"Eugene Fitzherbert," Rapunzel overlapped Eugene's mumble of agreement.  
Rapunzel's parents went completely silent.  
Eugene gulped. _Goodbye, cruel world. It wasn't nice knowing you.  
_Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the Queen tsked her tongue and took her daughter's hands.  
"Let's see if any of my old dresses will fit you - I hate seeing you wear that crusty one!" With that, she took off back into the castle, her daughter in tow; much in the same manner that Rapunzel had hauled Eugene through the kingdom on her birthday.

The Queen quickly showed Rapunzel which rooms they were passing on the way to the King and Queen's bedroom, but Rapunzel was too entranced by the castle to notice very much of what her mother was saying. The rooms were all a monotone, creamish color, but tapestries, carpets, chair cushions, and other fabrics made up for the lack of color on the walls. Rapunzel was already getting ideas for paintings she could make to hang in her room! When the Queen pulled her into their bedroom, though, she tried to pay attention to the task at hand.  
Her mother dove into her huge armoire, digging and mumbling until she pulled out a slim, pale green dress.  
"This may fit you, dear. Go ahead; try it on!" she smiled encouragingly at her daughter, who was now terrified. She pointed her to the folding divider, which she slipped behind to change out of her old dress. As Rapunzel did so, her mother spoke. "You don't have to be fearful of me, Rapunzel. I promise to you that whatever your captor did to you, I will never do. I promise."  
"I-I know, Mother...I'm just worried about Eugene."  
"You're quite fond of him, aren't you?"  
Rapunzel swallowed hard as she laced her corset. Here it comes. She had to tell her _right now._ "Mother, I love him, and he loves me. He gave his life to save me...and I won't allow it if he-he gets banished, or anything! He told me about those s-suitors."  
On the other side of the divider, the Queen stood in silent surprise. The girl's headstrong attitude was definitely the same as hers.  
"I hated the suitors when my time came, too. But you know, it wasn't that terrible. I met your father that way," she said softly. "But we won't worry about suitors for a long while. We want our daughter around for a long time before we give her away!"  
Rapunzel bit her lip as she tied a bow at the end of her corset. "That's the thing. We could skip the suitor thing altogether!"  
"Sweetheart...he's a _thief! _ He's nothing special!"the Queen said, surprised. Was her daughter as gullible and soft-hearted when it came to others as her father is?  
Rapunzel stepped out from behind the divider, but her mother didn't get a chance to say anything about how pretty she looked in her old dress. Her lips burned with what she wanted to tell her mother about Eugene, but she knew she needed to be polite. "Mother, I understand. But you oughtn't say bad things about him. He's changed - I witnessed him change. He's the only reason why I'm standing here now! I would be chained up in a cellar if it weren't for him."  
Her mother gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth. She hadn't known that her daughter had been on her way to being chained in the room under the stairwell of the tower.  
Rapunzel instantly felt ashamed. Maybe she shouldn't have said all that. Would her mother strike her? If she would have said such blunt things in Gothel's presence, let alone spoken up against her, she would have been punished quickly and swiftly.  
The Queen simply stared at her before gently saying, "You're like your father in that way. He always finds the good in people...but at the same time, you've got my headstrong attitude."  
Rapunzel gulped. "I'm sorry, Mother, I shouldn't have spoken up-"  
"I'm not mad, dear girl! I'm just thinking. Come, let's get you washed up." she reassured her daughter with a smile before taking her hand and leading her off to see her new room.

The castle was absolutely HUGE! Rapunzel's room alone was at least twice the size of the entire upper level of the tower, and even had a balcony, an armoire, a dark reddish-purple-upholstered chair, and a fireplace. And a bookshelf! Her mother had already shown her where the castle library was, so she couldn't _wait _to go read in there! All worries about Eugene were temporarily forgotten.  
When a young maid came into the room with a small, metal tub and enough heated water to bathe in, she provided Rapunzel with a bar of handmade soap and a towel and then left to stand just outside her bedroom door.  
"Can you even _imagine, _Pascal? This place is gigantic! Imagine if I could paint these walls...it'd take me forever!" she giggled, chatting excitedly with her chameleon as she bathed. "Ooh, and this soap smells divine! Like roses."  
Pascal was indifferent to the scent of the soap as well as how large the castle was - the chair was very comfortable and very suitable for a tired chameleon to sleep on.  
Rapunzel dunked her head in the water, scrubbing her short hair. She soon realized with surprise that it didn't take nearly as long to wash her hair, and she flipped her head back up out of the water, splashing water everywhere with excitement.  
"Princess, are you okay?" came the maid's voice from behind the locked door.  
Surprised, Rapunzel blushed. "Oh! Um, yes, thank you. Just splashed a bit, sorry! I'll clean it up!"  
"No worries, Princess; I can do that," she reminded her.  
"Why?" Rapunzel asked, busily scrubbing her filthy feet until they were pink again. She couldn't even imagine why someone would clean up another person's mess - she'd never have gotten away with _that _around Gothel!  
"It's my job, Princess!" the maid said in a lighthearted tone. The maid was actually quite amused with the princess; her cheery attitude was easily spread.  
"O-oh! Well, you can have the day off for cleaning up my bath water spills, then!"  
The maid laughed quietly from behind the door.

Once Rapunzel was clean, she wrapped herself in an incredibly soft, beige towel before going to explore the room. There wasn't much more to see, except for the furniture she'd already noted, aside from a vanity.  
Finally remembering Eugene, she quickly dressed once more in the pale green dress, quickly cleaned up the mess she'd made, and scooped Pascal up from his sleeping spot. Then, she burst through her bedroom door, accidentally launching the maid across the hallway.  
"Oh! I'm so sorry, miss-" Rapunzel gasped, horrified.  
The surprised young maid laughed, waving the accident off as she tucked a lock of red hair from her face. "It's alright, Princess - can I be of service to you before I take care of the water?"  
"Where's the, um...main sitting place?" Rapunzel asked awkwardly. Her mother had explained that that was where they'd meet up after her bath, but she couldn't remember what she'd called it.  
"Down the hall straight," she said. "May I-"  
"Okay! Thank you so much!" she gave her a smile before racing off down the hallway.  
Tearing into the huge room, she froze when she was met by only Eugene, who gave her a forlorn stare.  
Her good mood was instantly dashed. "Oh, Eugene!" she choked. "No, they can't! They simply can't! I'll...I'll..." she trailed off, throwing her arms around him.  
He sighed before saying quietly, "They're letting me stay here. No suitors, either; your mother ensured."  
"W-what?" she pulled away from him, giving him a wide-eyed stare. Did she even dare to hope?  
"They're letting me stay here. They're not exactly pleased with me, but they know how highly you think of me. Your father interrogated me and I quite honestly don't think I have a single secret to hide anymore...he knows everything about me. It's weird. And he said, and I quote, that 'he'd prefer you marrying me and staying to rule this kingdom one day than being swept off to another country someday by some pompous prince'."  
Rapunzel giggled excitedly. "Oh, Eugene, I'm _so _happy. Everything's as it should be!"  
The Queen and King came around the corner of the room to join them. "Yes, everything is as it should be," her mother agreed.


	4. Chapter 4

That night, Rapunzel couldn't sleep.  
She'd been okay all day, but when she was alone in her huge, dark room with only Pascal, she was afraid. Her nightmare of Eugene's death hadn't helped anything, either.  
She didn't know where to go to find her parents, but she did know where that library was. Quickly scooping up Pascal and lighting a candle, she rushed down the hallway, her light purple nightgown swishing around her ankles.  
Slipping into the library, she noticed a pale glow already coming from a corner of the large room.

Eugene had fallen asleep on the chair, his index finger jammed in where his place was in the book. Rapunzel grinned, reaching to ease the book away from his hand before it fell.  
With a jolt, he flew awake and gave her an alarmed look.  
"Sorry!" she whispered. "I-"  
He shook his head. "It's fine," he grinned sleepily, stretching before folding his arms across his chest and giving her a calculating gaze. "What's a pretty princess like you doing up at this hour of the night?"  
"Can't sleep," she shrugged absently.  
"Hmm...guess we both only knew where the library was, huh?"  
"Mhm," she cracked a smile. "Why are you up?"  
"Can't sleep - this place is too cushy and comfy. You?"  
"Too comfy?! How can it be too comfy? I can't sleep because of a nightmare."  
He chuckled. "When you're a thief, you learn that hard surfaces are good, as long as they're safe. I haven't slept in a proper bed in a long time. What were you dreaming about?"  
She shook her head, but eventually blurted it out. "You. I'm still so scared you'll leave forever!"  
"I won't!" he smiled, reaching to tuck her hair behind one ear. "I promise."  
She grinned at his touch. "You're a thief. Your promises don't go far!"  
"Oh, you're gonna pull that card, huh? Hm. My promises are worthless, even after I, the most handsome man alive, said you were my new dream?"  
"Were - past tense," Rapunzel teased. She was enjoying this.  
"It was on my dying breath! I was using my tenses correctly, thank you very much." he laughed before meeting her eyes. Finally, he decided to tell her the rest of what he'd been trying to tell her. "Actually...that was my next-to-the-last breath. You know what I was trying to say after that?"  
"Huh-uh," she said. She knew he'd attempted saying something, she just didn't know what.  
His face turned red. "Since this dashing guy has an incredibly hard time voicing his emotions, you're lucky to hear it again. Either that or you're just special enough that I'll tell you again. I love you."  
She sucked in a deep breath. Of course she knew that, but hearing it...reminded her of Gothel. Gothel had always told her she'd loved her. Did he truly mean it? One look at his adoring gaze said yes. "I-I love you too," she stammered. Why was she so shy about saying it, too?  
"And I'll never leave you. If you have any more nightmares, my bedroom is five doors down from the library. Don't come in, just knock - your parents will skin me alive if they see you in my room, or vice versa. Either that or you can go to your parents...they're three doors down from my room. Okay?"  
She grinned, and he stood up from the chair to pull her into a warm hug that reassured her that everything would be okay.


	5. Chapter 5: AN

**A/N:  
Hey, everyone! Due to quite a few requests, there is now a sequel post up: "Since I've Come Home". It will contain a series of one-shots, and while the first one definitely isn't the best, I've got a lot more planned. So please stop by if you're interested! Also, thank you for all of your reviews, favorites, and follows!  
s/10734802/1/Since-I-ve-Come-Home **


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